Rics comments on landlord rent

The net balance of chartered surveyors reporting rises - as opposed to falls - in rents, between the third and fourth quarters of 2008, dropped from minus 12 per cent to minus 48 per cent.

At least that is the view of the latest landlord rent survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).

Additionally, more people seeking landlord advice could be a factor of the coming months as the company's Lettings Survey indicated that an increasing number of landlords are entering the market - one of the reasons rents are falling.

Rics spokesperson Jeremy Leaf remarked: "The marketplace has become more and more competitive as reluctant landlords continue to look to let properties they are unable to sell."

However, the rental sector continues to experience a "boom"period, as opposed to the property sales market which has hit new lows, he added.

Earlier this week, it was suggested that property professionals are "a vital element of the future competitiveness of UK PLC".

This was one of the conclusions from a report by the Professional Services Global Competitiveness Group, whose work was commissioned by HM Treasury.